Shelf structure



June 6, 1% E). L. wmss ETAL 3 32335 SHELF STRUCTURE Filed July 6, 1965 2 Sheets-8heet 1 F I G i H :2? I20 IO 1:. LA\/ 129% 1262M HQ 12b lEb l2 i210 l2b 12d INVENTORS BEERTFKAM L. wEisss MOE KES sLER ATTORNEY June 6, 1967 B. L. WEISS ETAL 3,323,655

SHELF STRUCTURE.

Filed July 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

BERTRAM L.WEI SS.

MOE KESSLER ATTORNEY United States Patent Filed July 6, 1965, Ser. No. 469,780 9 Claims. (Cl. 211-153) This invention relates to novel shelf structure, and more particularly to such shelves produced from high impact polystyrene.

Shelving of this character is known in the art and, generally, is produced by molding techniques. Such shelves have all of the aesthetic advantages of high quality glass and obviate the problems inherent to the cutting of sheets or strips of glass to produce shelves of specific lengths.

The principal inadequacy of commercially produced shelves of polystyrene is the tendency of such shelves to bow under pressure or weight of articles supported thereupon, it being understood that molded or extruded polystyrene can be cut readily into convenient lengths, as may be desired, with particular ease and providing smooth surfaces at the cut edges.

Accordingly, it is a major object of the present invention to provide novel high impact polystyrene shelves of any desired width under the weight of thereupon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel understructure for polystyrene and other shelves produced from thermoplastic materials, such understructure to be united with or joined to the shelf per se so as to provide a unitary structure which will not bow under the weight of articles supported thereupon.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide novel shelves of the class set forth which may be produced economically, will be particularly pleasing in appearance, and may be supported conveniently upon commercially available brackets without any requirement for special fastening means or other securing devices.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will readily apparent from the following description, taken conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein: FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of a novel shelf constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, on a reduced scale, of the shelf of FIGURE 1, illustrating the component parts thereof in exploded relationship;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view illustrating one extremity of the shelf supported within a U-shaped guide attached to a supporting surface;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view through a novel shelf and reinforcing understructure of the character illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 3, disclosing a slightly modified form thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view through a novel shelf illustrating a further modified embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 and illustrating, somewhatdiagrammatically, the supporting or mounting thereof upon a conventional type of shelf-bracket.

With continued reference to the drawing, as illustrated more particularly in FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof, the novel shelf 10, produced from high impact polystyrene, may be of any desired width and length and may be provided with longitudinally depending flanges or aprons 11 at the front and rear edges thereof. If desired, the aprons 11 may be produced integrally with the shelf per se; alternately, these aprons may be adhesively secured or heat fused to the outer longitudinal faces a of the shelf,

and length and which will not how articles displayed and supported be in it being understood that the principal function of the aprons 11 is to conceal and participate in the attachment of the reinforcing or supporting understructure. Desi-rably, each apron 11 is provided on its inner face and adjacent the lower edge thereof with a longitudinally extending groove 11a for a purpose to be described more fully hereafter.

The supporting surface of shelf per se in accordance with conventional practices, may have an approximate thickness of .1 to .125 inch and comparable thicknesses may be employed in the flanges or aprons 11 with particularly satisfactory results. Usual widths for such shelves are 8", l0 and 12"; however, within reasonable dimensions, there are no limitations as. to width or length with the shelves of the present invention.

The understructure 12 is corrugated in a particular manner and may be produced from metal or plastic by either molding or extrusion techniques. Desirably the thickness thereof is substantially less than the thickness of the shelf per se and alternate flat ridges 12a and grooves 12b are provided, the height of such ridges being less than the height of the depending flanges 11 so that the understructure may be concealed therebehind. As shown in FIGURE 1, each half of the understructure 12, viewed from a central median line, is a mirror image of the other half thereby insuring structural uniformity transversely thereof.

The transverse width of the understructure may determine the number of ridges and grooves. Desirably, these are connected by angularly disposed longitudinal walls 12c and the opposed walls of each ridge incline upwardly toward each other, the angular relationship of such walls being on the order of 60 from the horizontal. Each extremity of the understructure 12 terminates in a groove 12]) and the longitudinal edge 1241 is aligned with and seats within the groove 11a in the adjacent flange or apron 11. If desired, and for greater strength, the innermost wall of the ridge adjacent each flange 11 may be of somewhat different configuration. As shown, each of these walls includes a substantially vertically disposed lower portion 12c and a sharply angular upper portion 12 this angular relationship being on the order of 45.

The understructure 12 is fixedly secured to the shelf 11 to provide a unitary assembly. As shown, the upper surface of each ridge is adhesively connected, or heat fused, to the bottom surface of the shelf. In like manner, the outer longitudinal edges of the understructure are fixedly secured to the adjacent inner surfaces of the flanges 11, within grooves 11a when such are provided.

The finished shelf may be supported upon conventional transversely disposed brackets, no fastening elements being required. With a shelf having a width of 10 8 or 10 inch commercial brackets (as are well known in this art) may be employed; with a 12" shelf, 10 or 12 inch brackets are entirely satisfactory.

Alternately, as shown in FIGURE 3 of the where support at each extremity of the shelf is distinguished from longitudinally spaced transverse brackets upon which the shelf rests, U-shaped tracks or guides 13 are provided and the shelf extremity is received between the flanges 13a of said guides, it being understood that the spacing between the flanges 13a will 52 but slightly greater than the height of the aprons 11, thereby insuring a relatively snug fit. Suitable fastening elements, such as screws or the like 14, may be employed to attach the guides 13 to wall or supporting structure 15.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the novel shelf 20, desirably produced from high impact polystyrene, may be of any desired width and length and is provided with longitudinally depending flanges or aprons 21 at the front and also drawing, desired, as

the rear edges thereof. If desired, the aprons 21 may be produced integrally with the shelf 20 per se; alternately, these aprons may be adhesively secured or heat fused to the outer longitudinal faces of the shelf, it being understood that the principal function of the aprons 21 is to Conceal and participate in the attachment of the reinforcing or supporting understructure.

As illustrated, the shelf 20 is provided with transversely depending flanges or aprons 22 at the side edges thereof. If desired, these aprons may be produced integrally with the shelf per se; alternately, the aprons may be adhesively secured or heat fused to the adjacent surfaces or edges of the shelf and aprons 21.

The understructure 12 is illustrated as substantially identical in construction to that shown and described in connection with FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings and is laminated or fixedly secured to the shelf 20 and surrounding aprons 21 and 22 to provide a unitary assembly, it being understood that laminating or fusing of the abutting edges or portions of the understructure is accomplished directly to the adjacent panel and apron surfaces.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES and 6 of the drawings, the shelf 3-0 is provided with integral and depending end flanges 31 and side flanges 32, thus producing an inverted rectangular receptacle within which is received an appropriate supporting or reinforcing understructure 33. This may be substantially identical to that illustrated and described in connection with FIG- URES 1 and 4 or, as particularly shown, it may be in the form of a rigid sheet of plywood, or other suitable mate rial, of appropriate thickness and rigidity. Where the shelf per se is of colorless high impact polystyrene, having high transparency, the understructure may be provided with ornamental surfaces to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the shelf.

Additionally, a lower or bottom high impact polystyrene panel 34 may be provided, having upturned longitudinal flanges or aprons 35 and transverse flanges or aprons 36. Desirably the size of the bottom panel 34 is such that a snug fit is provided between the complementary upper shelf, supporting understructure, and bottom panel and suitable adhesive, heat seal, or laminating techniques are employed to unite the parts and provide a unitary air and waterproof structure.

If desired, the bottom panel 34 may be provided with one or more transverse grooves 34a intended for the reception of a conventional shelf bracket 37, illustrated somewhat diagrammatically, secured to an appropriate supporting element 38. Where no bottom panel is employed, the lower surface of the reinforcing understructure 33 may be provided with one or more grooves 33a similar to the grooves 34a described hereabove.

There has thus been described novel high impact polystyrene shelving which may be produced economically, cut to desired length with particular case, and will not yield or how under pressure or weight of articles supported thereupon.

It will be understood that the invention is not considered limited by that which is shown in the drawing and described in the specification and reference therefor is had to the claims for summaries of the essentials of the invention, novel features of construction and novel combination of parts for all of which protection is desired.

We claim:

1. Shelf structure consisting of an upper sheet of high impact polystyrene and a corrugated understructure constituted by longitudinally disposed alternating ridges and grooves having flat surfaces, the extremity of each groove being united with the adjacent ridge by a wall portion inclined angularly toward said ridge, flanges depending from the longitudinal edges of said upper sheet, the height of said flanges being greater than the height of the ridges in said understructure, the flat upper surfaces of said ridges being fixedly secured to the bottom surface of said upper sheet and the longitudinal edges of said understructure being fixedly secured to the inner surface of the opposed depending flange adjacent the bottom edge thereof to provide a unitary structure.

2. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 1 where the inner surface of each of said depending flanges is provided with a longitudinally extending groove located adjacent the bottom edge thereof and the longitudinal edges of said understructure are seated within said grooves and fixedly secured therein.

3. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 2 where the flat upper surfaces of said ridges are heat fused to the bottom surface of said upper sheet and the longitudinal edges of said understructure are heat fused within the grooves in said depending flanges.

4. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 3 where said upper shelf is of a thickness on the order of .1 to .125 inch and said understructure is produced from thermoplastic material having a thickness approximately 50% of that of said upper shelf.

5. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 1 where the outermost wall portions, connecting the terminal groove with the adjacent ridge, is constituted by a vertically disposed portion and an upper sharply angularly disposed portion, the angular relationship therebetween being on the order of 45.

6. Shelf structure consisting of an upper sheet of high impact polystyrene and a rigid understructure laminated thereto, flanges depending from the longitudinal and transverse edges of said upper sheet, and the peripheral edges of said rigid understructure being united to the abutting inner surfaces of said depending flanges.

7. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 6 where said understructure is produced from corrugated thermoplastic sheet material having longitudinally disposed alternating ridges and grooves having flat surfaces, the extremity of each groove being united to the adjacent ridge by a wall portion inclined angularly toward said ridge.

8. Shelf structure as set forth in claim 6 where said understructure is produced from rigid sheet material of substantially uniform thickness and is provided with at least one transverse groove in the bottom face thereof for cooperation with a supporting bracket.

9. Shelf structure as set in claim 6 including a bottom sheet of high impact polysttyrene, upstanding flanges along the longitudinal and transverse edges of said bottom sheet, providing a receptacle within which said rigid understructure fits snugly, the exterior dimensions of said upstanding flanges being complementary to the interior dimensions of the flanges depending from said upper sheet, the abutting surfaces of said flanges, unde-rstructure and inner surfaces of said upper and lower sheets being united to provide a unitary and fluid proof assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,438,505 3/1948 Hunt 108-52 2,794,555 6/1957 Schild 21 1-135 3,077,012 2/ 1963 Speraw 20-74 FOREIGN PATENTS 672,647 10/1963 Canada.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. SHELF STRUCTURE CONSISTING OF AN UPPER SHEET OF HIGH IMPACT POLYSTYRENE AND A CORRUGATED UNDERSTRUCTURE CONSTITUTED BY LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED ALTERNATING RIDGES AND GROOVES HAVING FLAT SURFACES, THE EXTREMITY OF EACH GROOVE BEING UNITED WITH THE ADJACENT RIDGE BY A WALL PORTION INCLINED ANGULARLY TOWARD SAID RIDGE, FLANGES DEPENDING FROM THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID UPPER SHEET, THE HEIGHT OF SAID FLANGES BEING GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE RIDGES IN SAID UNDERSTRUCTURE, THE FLAT UPPER SURFACES OF SAID RIDGES BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID UPPER SHEET AND THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID UNDERSTRUCTURE BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE OPPOSED DEPENDING FLANGE ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGE THEREOF TO PROVIDE A UNITARY STRUCTURE. 